Collapsible crate



H. J. ma

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE File d Deo. 2l. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l EVM, (L

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H. J. LEE

COLLAPSIBLE'GRATE yFiledDeC. 2l, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fl' i l WWW vg@ lifatentetl tpr. filet, 19113.

00131111511951131116 CRATE.

application led December 21, 1921. Serial No. 523,91*?.

To @ZZ LU/0m t may conce/m:

lie it lrnown that l, HENRY J. Lian, a citi- Zen of the lUnited States, residing at Fountain Run, in the county of Monroe and State t of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Crates; and l do hereby declare the following to be a` full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled l@ in the art to which it appertains to maire and use the same.

This invention relates to a folding or collapsible crate.

iin important object is to provide a crate l, which is foldable or collapsible in order to occupy minimum space and which is selffastening in an unfolded form or position so as to avoid the necessity of using latches or other hardware for that purpose. mtl A second important object is to provide a crate having walls operable to maintain it in an unfolded position cooperating with another wall or walls yieldable relatively thereto and coacting therewith for fastening m engagement against unfolding movement.

A third important object is to provide a crate having substantially parallel relatively movable walls and intermediate walls operable to spread the walls first mentioned and JU to form the sides of the crate.

A; fourth important object is to provide a crate having two side walls in foldable sections, means to limit unfolding of said w, sections, and cooperating` brace means on lf the sections to prevent longitudinal move ment of said sections relatively to each other. Another important object is to provide a crate having two side `walls in foldable sections, two side walls movable intermediate the walls first mentioned, and means on the walls first mentioned to limit unfolding movement of the walls second mentioned. Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of l ff the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating one practical embodiment.

Figure 1 is an end elevation of the improved crate;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is an inverted plan view of the crate with the base removed;

Figure 4; is a cross sectional view on the line 4wd of Figure 3 through the entire crate, and

Figure 5- is an elevation of the crate in a collapsed or folded condition.

Lilie reference characters designate like or similar' parts in the different views of the drawings.

lin reducing the invention to practice, a suitable base wall is provided at which may have transverse slats 11 to secure the component boards or sections together.

Parallel side walls 13 are provided, preferably being in sections 14 hinged together at 15 on a horizontal axis and so that their joint will be broken by inward movement.

Parallel with the base wall 10 is a cover wall 16. Hinges at 17 flexibly connect the uppermost sections 1li to the cover wall 16 and hinges 18 flexibly connect the lowermost sections 14- to the base wall 10, di rectly being secured to slats 11. Said hinges 17 and 18 move on horizontal axes so as to facilitate inward folding movement of said sections 14. i

Said sections 14 may be ofany suitable construction but preferably consists of a plurality of slats 19 connected together by braces or bars disposed on the exterior thereof. Said bars 2O are preferably disposed at an angle as shown, and those of the uppermost sections la are disposed within and in contact with those of the lowermost sections 141 as at 21. Due to such contact, relative longitudinal movement of the sections 141 of each side wall 13 relatively to each other is prevented, which serves to reinforce the sections and to relieve the different hinges of strain. lln addition, one of the sections 1d of each side wall 13 has an abutment or stop slat 22 secured thereto and which overlaps the other section of the same wall so as to limit unfolding movement of the sections of the walls 13 to an alined or upright position. 'llhe top wall 16 may be of any suitable construction preferably having spaced slats 23 connected by exteriorly arranged slats 24 and interiorly disposed slats 25 and 26. At each end slat 26 is suitably cut away in order to provide a transversely disposed shoulder at 27. Suitably secured to the uppermost section 14 adjacent the cover wall 16, and at opposite ends thereof, are stop lugs 28 of any suitable con-` struction, having angularly disposed leaves 29 overlapped by hinges 17 and secured in place by the hinge fastening means as at 30.

Intermediate the side walls 13, side walls 31 are provided which may be of any suitable construction and for instance slats 32 longitudinally disposed and suitably spaced apart and connected by transverse slats 33. Said walls 31 are toldable inwardly and to this end are pivoted as by means of hinges 34 to the base wall 10. As said walls 3l are moved to an unfolded position, they abut the stop lugs 28 which limit their outward movement. Since the slats ol the cover wall 16 are of wood, they are to a certain degree resilient and yieldable. ln this connection, it is to be noted that the walls 31 are slightly wider than the distance between the base wall and the slat 26 so that as said walls 31 are moved outwardly to an unfolded position, they will elevate the sla-ts 26 until the uppermost slats of the walls 31 pass the shoulders 27, at which moment the resiliency of the top wall will restore the slat 26 to normal position and thus dispose the shoulders 27 in the rear of the walls 31, thus locking the same in an unfolded position as the walls 31 cannot swing in one direction due to abutment with the shoulders 27 and cannot swing in the other direction due to abutment with the lugs 28.

The device is transported normally in a folded position as shown in Figure 5 in order that it will occupy minimum space. To untold the crate, it is necessary to first move the side walls 13 so that their sections 14 will aline and space the base wall 10 and coverwall 16. Thereafter, the walls 81 may be moved. outwardly from their hinges into locked ycooperation with the shoulders 27 and stop lugs 28. One of the walls 31 of course .may be left open, or opened, until the crate is filled and to facilitate illing and removal of contents. In order to collapse the crate, it is first necessary to spring the top wall 16 soas to disengage the shoulders 27 from the side walls 31 after which said side walls 81 are folded inwardly and downwardly against the base 10 and subsequently the joints of the sections 14 are broken and tue base and cover wall 16 moved relatively so that the crate will Ioccupy the position illustrated in Figure 5.

As merely one practical embodiment has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that changes in the details may be resorted to within the spirit and scope ot the invention.

I claim as my invention 1. A crate having a wall provided with a Slat, said sla-t having an abutment thereon, a movable wall, and said movable wall being engageable with said slat to spring the same and cause locking engagement ot said abutment with said movable wall.

2. A crate having a wall, an outwardl' movable wall, means to limit outward movement of the second mentioned wall, and means operable upon engagement of the second mentioned wall with the said means to prevent return movement or the second mentioned wall consisting ot a resiliently mounted slat having` a shoulder to directly engage the movable wall.

3. A crate having a wall, said wall consisting oit toldable sections, and brace members on said sections in contact with each other on a line transversely of the wall to prevent relative movement of the sections.

Ll. A crate having a. wall, said wall being in sections, means pivotally connecting said sections together, brace members for said sections, and said brace members being in contact with each other on a line transversely of the wall and substantially in line with the axis of the pivot.

5. A collapsible crate having lirst and second substantially parallel walls` side walls pivoted to said walls, said side Yalls being in sections, said sections beingl pivoted together for inward movement, brace members on said sections, said brace members of the sections contacting with each other along the axis of the sections, an end wall pivoted to one of the first mentioned walls and movable outwardly, one ot the lirst mentioned walls having a slat, said slat having a shoulder, and the last mentioned wall being movable against said slat to springl the same as the last mentioned wall moves to a position beyond said shoulder.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence or two witnesses.

HENRY J. LEE.

Vitnesses:

H. L. GRooMs, M. C. LANDUM. 

